Do you Moisturise your Body? | Palmer's Cocoa Butter

Do you moisturise your body? Is it something that’s important to you? I cant think of a more appropriate time of year to write a post about the staples in my moisturising routine...

Since I can remember, moisturising is just something I’ve always done. I think the seed was probably planted by my mum who has always moisturised every evening after a bath or shower. For many years I used the Body Shop butters, but as you know they aren’t exactly cheap and if you’re moisturising your limbs every day that can become a little pricey. It was my mission to discover an affordable, but nourishing moisturiser that would leave my body feeling as hydrated as those yummy little butters. That’s when I discovered Palmer’s.

I have three products from their range which I just keep repurchasing. WARNING: If you hate Cocoa Butter then stop reading now ;)

This moisturiser literally kicks any others butt. I am yet to find one that even comes close in comparison. It’s rich and creamy in formula, which means a little goes a long way. It’s not sticky – which is the one thing that is crucial for me in a moisturiser. There is nothing worse (okay, there definitely is worse things to happen, but I’m a dramatic beauty blogger), than slathering yourself in greasy moisturiser which means you have to wait for it to soak in before it dries! This formula sinks in almost instantly and leaves the skin silky smooth. The scent is quite strong, but it’s not at all overpowering on application so you can feel safe in the knowledge that your perfume won’t be interrupted by your moisturiser. I always go for the larger 400ml pump bottle as I think it’s great value for money, and I absolutely love a good pump applicator! Now for the absolute best bit, the price. From Superdrug it’s only £5.29 – I know!!! How amazing is that? You’re getting SO much for your money and it lasts an absolute age. The only down side to this product for me, is that on one or two of my purchases the pump has been faulty, but it’s easily solved as I just keep the one from the old bottle and swap them over! Simples :)

If you’ve ever been scared to fake tan (like me) and have extremely pale skin (like me) then honestly you need to give this baby a whirl. It’s a gradual tan, similar to the likes of Dove and Johnson’s except I think it’s even more natural looking. On just one application I had comments that I looked sun kissed – where had I been? Umm…in my bathroom with my tan? Ha ha. Now, of course all tan’s have that gross biscuity smell, you know the one? Don’t get me wrong this still has a hint of biscuit to it, but because of the cocoa butter formula it’s nowhere near as bad. It literally just feels like you’re slapping on your regular moisturiser and within a couple of hours you’ve got a nice healthy glow. Like the original moisturiser it’s hitting just above the £5 mark at Superdrug and at 250ml, it lasts a fair while!

This is a new addition to my collection. The lovely Prairie Charms sent this as a thank you gift (how thoughtful is that?!) and it’s having a full blown love affair with my lips. At first when I opened the packet I wasn’t sure, I could see it had a grainy finish and usually I hate bitty lip balms as I feel they just crust up on your lips. (That sounds really gross). But I was pleasantly surprised, on application it was as smooth as a baby’s bum and no grainy deposits to be seen. As with the moisturiser the nourishing feeling the cocoa leaves is heavenly and hydrating. It’s jam packed with Vitamin E which is excellent for treating chapped or cracked lips and with an SPF15 it’s pretty much the perfect lip balm and ticks ever box. Oh and yeah, it’s only £1.79. Uhhhh huh, you heard right.

So, they're my staple moisturising products, that pretty much never change!

Have you tried Palmer's? Or do you know of an affordable range I should be testing out? :)

My New Skincare Saviour | NUDE

My first ever blog post was about my skincare routine. I absolutely swore by Clinique’s Anti-Blemish range and totally believed that they were curing my problematic skin. For the most part I think they probably were, but lessons have been learned and Clinique is no more.

If you read my first post, you will know that during my teenage years my skin was pretty well behaved. (I’ll apologise now, this post may be slightly repetitive in places, but I want to explain it properly for newer readers!). I would only really experience spots when it was time of the month, and to be honest it wasn’t anything drastic, perhaps two spots on my forehead or something. Definitely manageable and I’m pretty sure I was the envy of a lot of the girls who were going through awful issues of acne and scarring. Like anything in life, you don’t think it will happen to you – until it does.

When I hit 20, my skin decided to have a mind of it’s own. I’d gone from being able to use any product I fancied to having to be really selective with ingredients and being a lover of beauty, I was pretty bummed. I invested in (a hell of a lot of) Liz Earle products and my skin absolutely hated it, and that’s where Clinique stepped in. Yes, it was fantastic for clearing up blemishes, reducing redness and eliminating the pounding pain that throbs through spots (yum), but as soon as it cleared up one load – perhaps 15-2o spots at a time, another batch would pop up twice as sore and 122034953x as large. Believing in my product I convinced myself that it was my hormones/lifestyle causing the breakouts and that Clinique couldn’t possibly be at fault. I mean, they were clearing up my skin so well and it had restored a little bit of hope that things might get better!

Then, the ever wonderful Zoe of Zoe New Love sent me a rather hefty (but much appreciated) email about my skincare and how she thought I could improve it. Basically, what it boils down to is that Clinique works a bit like paint stripper. Yes, it’s wonderful at ripping all the baddies off your face and appearing to keep your skin clear but really, it’s taking all the goodies out of your skin too. I always said how it controlled my oil fantastically, when what it was really doing was removing all the natural oil, which you actually need to keep your skin looking and feeling healthy. Hence the breakouts – when your skin is de-hydrated it will lock all the oil in and produce it in excess, causing a breakout. So, a big fat lovely THANK YOU to Zoe for helping me out and throwing some suggestions my way!

That's where my new skincare comes in. NUDE...

 First step is cleansing, I've been using their Perfect Cleansing Oil (RRP £28 100ml) and for me, perfect is the 'perfect' word to describe it. First impressions, I thought no way ho-say am I using an oil based product on my oily skin, but it turns out it's exactly what my skin was craving. Was my skin naturally oily? Or was it just craving the right balance of skincare to keep it at bay? I use one pump in the morning and two at night - simply because I like to take my makeup off with it (really impressed with how amazingly delicate this is around the eye area - no stinging at all), and that means using an extra pump helps. Once I've rubbed it in, I wet my hands and continue to massage - this causes the oil to turn into a milky consistency and then I just wash off with warm water. It leaves my skin feeling refreshed, silky smooth but for me most importantly - oil free and not dried up. Because this is a natural brand, there's pretty much no fragrance to this cleanser, something my skin loves and after one use it had helped to clear my spots tremendously.

Second is their Radiant Daily Moisturiser. (RRP £42 40ml) This is reasonably light in consistency, which means a little goes a long way (something I always look for in a moisturiser). Again fragrance free, this moisturiser makes me feel refreshed and sinks in beautifully - there's no waiting around to put your makeup on, it dries almost instantly and it really feels like your skin is drinking it up. Like the cleanser, it soaks up the oil but doesn't leave my skin feeling dehydrated, quite the opposite really. In conjunction with the cleanser my skin has never felt so amazing. And honestly, I'm not just saying that. 

Lastly - the ProGenius Treatment Oil. (RRP £58 30ml N.B. my picture is the tester size bottle) Good GOD, seriously I cannot praise this baby enough. I use this every other evening (instead of my moisturiser). Like the cleanser, I was dubious to say the least in using pure oil on my face, but how wrong I was. And please, if you've used treatment oils before and reacted badly to it, don't let that put you off. I used the Liz Earle facial oil and my skin went banana's, but these treatments are so amazing for your skin and it's just a case of finding the one that fits you. There's so many yummy oils in this bottle, I won't list them all but here a my personal faves: Sunflower, Apricot, Sweet Almond, JoJoba, Rosemary and Soy Bean to name a few! I apply two drops to my fingertips after cleansing and warm through my fingers before dabbing all over my face. There is a very subtle hint of Jasmine to this oil, but when I say subtle I mean it, perfect for a night time treatment. (it also says you can use it under foundation, but I don't fancy that). I personally love the glass pipette and bottle, it's got quite a bold price tag, and if the treatment itself wasn't enough for you, I think the packaging ensures you're satisfied 100%. I haven't had to use a spot treatment since I've used this oil - that's how good it is. If I've experienced a breakout a few drops of this every other night has cleared them up whilst I'm sleeping. Literally, I am so happy. That probably sounds pathetic, but if you've struggled with your skin then you'll understand where I'm coming from.

In fairness - I have no basis to compare how these products work singularly as I've only used them in conjunction with one another - but if you're a bit put off by the price, and want to try it, then go for their starter kit - you get one of each (smaller sizes) for £38 and the cleanser and moisturiser lasted me about a month, the oils still going strong with probably another month or so left. So it's definitely fantastic value for money.

I think even if you don't have problematic skin, this brand could work for any skin type. Their main focus is anti-ageing. Nude use n-probiotic, which causes the skin to produce its own anti-ageing ingredients, including collagen, hyaluronic acid and antioxidants; omegas 3, 6, 7 & 9 that help to defend against ageing and protect whole skin cells so not only is your skin being cared for, it's also helping you naturally face the first signs of ageing. And at 23, I'm not one to be scared by anti-ageing products. Personally, I don't see the benefit in waiting until your skin has aged to try and rectify it - surely the title anti-ageing says it all? Fight it whilst you can, and use it as a preventative, not a cure. The packaging is gorgeously subtle, but not only that, it's recyclable. And lastly, Nude are 100% natural and don't test on animals. To be honest, I don't think they could be any more perfect.

I am now at the stage, where if I had to I would happily leave the house without my foundation on. A few months ago I would have laughed out loud at that statement, but I honestly feel this brand has turned my life around. I have my confidence back and know that I'm protecting my skin too. No more baddies and hopefully no wrinkles either ;) If that's not results I don't know what is.

What do you think? Is Nude a brand you've tried before?

GLOSSYBOX April 2012

At the beginning of last week, I received my monthly GLOSSYBOX. Exciting times ladies! If you aren’t too familiar with the beauty box concept, let me give you a brief introduction.

Glossybox offer a monthly subscription to a fabulous little box of beauty goodies. You can pay on a monthly basis (or yearly if you are a diehard fan), for a mere £10 p.m, plus £2.95 postage & packaging. Of which you can cancel at any stage, there’s no catch in this one! & in return for your subscription, each month, you’ll receive 5 high-end products from various beauty brands. The idea is that they are all a smaller size than you’d purchase in the shops, just so you can test the water to see if you like them. Try before you buy etc etc. Glossybox are a little different though, they try to theme their boxes each month, i.e. holidays such as xmas, valentines etc. or Harrods. This month it’s themed around Organic products. & this is what I received:

Figs &  Rouge Balm – Rambling Rose:

I think this has to be my favourite product in this month’s box. It’s a teeny tester pot, but you get such a lot of product for the size. It states on the pot that this can be used for lips, face & body; however I’ve only used it on my lips so far. It’s 100% organic, & smells/tastes uh-mazing. I literally want to eat it. It’s super moisturising & leaves your lips silky smooth with a little glisten after application. I suffer quite badly with chapped lips & this has definitely kept them hydrated, so far, there’s not a crack to be seen, woohoo!! Another fab bonus to GlossyBox is that with some of the items you will receive a discount code to purchase a full size of the product. So, no surprises I got straight on to this & purchased another yummy flavour for a mere £3 with my discount included! What a bargain for such a lovely product.

AYUURI Natural Body Wash - Sandalwood:

This was a full sized product, which is always lovely, seeing as these boxes are just meant to be testers for you to try before you buy. My bottle came in the fragrance Sandalwood. I’d never actually smelt sandalwood before, but I absolutely love it! The thick creamy texture lathers up nicely & leaves my skin feeling really soft and hydrated. I wasn’t jumping for joy over the packaging. The letters were half rubbed off, & well I don’t think it’s that nice to look at. But @ £4.95 a pop, I’m not complaining. Too much anyway.

Caudalie Vinosource SOS Thirst-Quenching Serum:

I’m not too sure on this one. It’s quite a nice product, but I hate the word nice, so that’s not saying much. You’re meant to apply this day and night, bore application of moisturiser or foundation; to restore moisture in the skin. As of yet, I haven’t seen any radical changes, perhaps it’s a gradual improvement. & at £39 per bottle (30ml full size), I’m not sure I’m too convinced.

Inika Cosmetics: Certified Organic Eyeliner – shade 05 Black Caviar:

This. I LOVE. It is so soft & doesn’t drag the eyelid on application. The pigmentation is strong & has super staying power. It does smudge a little too easily I feel, & if you wear it on the bottom lid, you may find it smudges out a little after a few hours – although this is perfect if you’re going for a smokey eye. This was another full size product, @ £11.75 – you’ve already beaten the price of your subscription, which is amazing! I’m definitely going to be purchasing more of these.

KAI Perfume Oil:

Product Description: Our intoxicating signature perfume oil fragrance, which is a light and intoxicating blend of a gardenia top note wrapped in white exotics.

I’m afraid this one isn’t for me. It’s a very heavy floral fragrance, which reminds me of an older ladies perfume. It says that this perfume oil will smell differently on each individual, & on me it smells a bit like popery.

Overall I’m really pleased with this month’s box. To be honest, I don't think I've ever been disappointed with one. If there’s ever been a product I really don’t like, it’s gone as an extra in someone’s Christmas stocking, or just to a friend I know will love it. I’m not sure I’ll ever end my subscription!

What did you lot think of your box this month? & if you haven’t signed up for Glossybox do you think you will now? I’m not sure how you can resist!